Land of 10,000 loons

Minnesota’s state motto is “Land of 10,000 lakes” and its state bird is the loon. The political scene in Minnesota this year suggests that we’re more like the land of 10,000 loons. Other than with my seemingly endless series on Keith Ellison, the DFL-endorsed candidate for Minnesota’s Fifth District congressional seat, we haven’t even tried to keep up with the three-ring circus on display in Minnestota this summer. Minnesota’s DFL Party has contributed most of the entertainment so far and Minnesota Democrats Exposed has emerged as the must-read blog to keep up with it. Today’s Pioneer Press column by Carleton College Professor of Political Science Steven Schier does a good job of depicting the weird local scene (and Ellison’s contribution to it): “Minnesota’s muddled election scene makes forecasts hazardous.”